Executive brief
A security vulnerability exists in Microsoft's Active Directory Certificate Services, which is used to manage digital identities and secure communications within a corporate network. An attacker with basic user access could exploit this flaw to gain higher-level administrative permissions. This could lead to a full takeover of the identity infrastructure, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive data and systems across the organization.
Technical details
An improper authorization vulnerability (CWE-285) exists in Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS). The flaw allows a remote attacker with low-privileged authenticated access to bypass authorization checks and escalate their privileges within the domain. The attack is carried out over the network without requiring user interaction. Successful exploitation could grant the attacker administrative control over the certificate authority or the broader Active Directory environment. Microsoft has released security updates to address this issue across affected Windows and Windows Server versions.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 < 10.0.14393.9339
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 < 10.0.17763.9020
- Microsoft Windows Server 2012 / 2012 R2 < 6.2.9200.26226 / < 6.3.9600.23291
- Microsoft Windows Server 2016 / 2019 < 10.0.14393.9339 / < 10.0.17763.9020
Timeline
- 2026-07-14: disclosed: Initial publication by Microsoft and NVD
- 2026-07-14: advisory: Microsoft MSRC advisory published